STOCKTON - Stockton police assisted Department of Motor Vehicles investigators in apprehending a man who sold a number of used cars with falsified odometer readings, authorities said.

DMV investigators requested assistance from the Stockton Police Department on Thursday after Albert Navarro Zapata, 27, fled on foot, officers said. Zapata flagged down a vehicle, got into the back seat and then refused to get out when police located the vehicle near West Lane and East Alpine Avenue, authorities said.

Zapata reached under the seat several times, prompting officers to deploy a police dog into the vehicle. Zapata was taken into custody after being bitten by the police dog, officers said.

Zapata was arrested on suspicion of altering odometer mileage, obtaining money by false pretenses and acting as an unlicensed car dealer, authorities said. He was treated for dog bites at a hospital before being booked into the San Joaquin County Jail, where he is being held on $155,000 bail, according to jail records.

The DMV launched a seven-month investigation after a victim in the Fresno area purchased a car on Craigslist, authorities said. When the victim registered the vehicle, DMV officials determined the odometer reading had been altered, investigators said.

Investigators believe Zapata bought Honda and Acura vehicles, lowered the odometer readings, altered the titles and used Craigslist to resell the vehicles throughout the Central Valley. Craigslist records revealed that Zapata posted nearly 100 vehicles on the site in a 19-month period, authorities said.

Zapata sold at least six vehicles with odometer readings lowered by an average of 100,000 miles, but investigators believe there may be other victims, the DMV said. Anyone who believes they purchased a vehicle from Zapata is encouraged to contact the Stockton DMV Investigations Office at (209) 473-6964.

The DMV warns car buyers to check with manufacturers and inspect car titles closely to determine if the odometer has been tampered with.

"Zapata's fraudulent acts caused victims to pay a substantial amount more for a vehicle than its true market value," Central Area DMV Cmdr. Tom Wilson said. "Make sure you do research on the vehicle before buying a used vehicle and beware of high-pressure tactics. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."

Contact reporter Jason Anderson at (209) 546-8279 or janderson@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/crimeblog or on Twitter @Stockton911.